Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb (English) Paperback Book

Description: Rapture in Death by J.D. Robb, Nora Roberts When the autopsies of three suspicious suicides reveal small burns on the brains of the victims, Eves investigation turns to the provocative world of virtual reality games--where the same techniques used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction. J.D. Robb is the pseudonym of author Nora Roberts. FORMAT Paperback LANGUAGE English CONDITION Brand New Publisher Description They died with smiles on their faces. Three apparent suicides: a brilliant engineer, an infamous lawyer, and a controversial politician. Three strangers with nothing in common - and no obvious reasons for killing themselves. Police lieutenenat Eve Dallas found the deaths suspicious. And her instincts paid off when autopsises revealed small burns on the brains of the victims. Was it a genetic abnormality or a high-tech method of murder? Eves investigation turned to the provocative world of virtual reality games - where the same technique used to create joy and desire could also prompt the mind to become the weapon of its own destruction. Author Biography J. D. Robb is the pseudonym for a #1 New York Times bestselling author of more than 200 novels, including the bestselling In Death series. There are more than 500 million copies of her books in print. Review Praise for Rapture in Death"Sexy, gritty, richly imagined suspense."—Publishers WeeklyMore Praise for the In Death series "Robb is a virtuoso."—Seattle Post-Intelligencer "Its Law & Order: SVU—in the future."—Entertainment Weekly "J. D. Robbs In Death novels are cant-miss pleasures."—#1 New York Times bestselling author Harlan Coben "Anchored by terrific characters, sudden twists that spin the whole narrative on a dime, and a thrills-to-chills ration that will raise the neck hairs of even the most jaded reader, the J. D. Robb books are the epitome of great popular fiction."—New York Times bestselling author Dennis Lehane Review Quote "Sexy, gritty, richly imagined suspense." ( Publishers Weekly ) Excerpt from Book This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents are either the product of the authors imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, business establishments, events or locales is entirely coincidental. chapter one chapter two chapter three chapter four chapter five chapter six chapter seven chapter eight chapter nine chapter ten chapter eleven chapter twelve chapter thirteen chapter fourteen chapter fifteen chapter sixteen chapter seventeen chapter eighteen chapter nineteen chapter twenty Mind games . . . At the flick of a switch, Eves face flashed onto a monitor, all pertinent data split-screened beside her. A fascinating woman. Birthplace and parents unknown. The abused child discovered hiding in an alley in Dallas, Texas, body battered, mind blanked. A woman who couldnt remember the early years of her own life. The years that formed the soul. Years when she had been beaten and raped and tormented. What did that sort of life do to the mind? To the heart? To the person? It had made the girl a social worker and had made Eve Dallas into a woman who had become a cop. The cop with the reputation for digging deep, and who had come into some notoriety the previous winter during the investigation of a sensitive and ugly case. That was when she had met Roarke. The computer hummed, sliced Roarkes face onto the screen. Such an intriguing couple. His background was no prettier than the cops had been. But hed chosen, at least initially, the other side of the law to make his mark. And his fortune. Now they were a set. A set that could be destroyed on a whim. But not yet. Not for some little time yet. After all, the game had just begun. But I do nothing upon myself, and yet am mine own Executioner. --John Donne There is rapture on the lonely shore. --Lord Byron chapter one The alley was dark and stank of piss and vomit. It was home for quick-footed rats and the bony, hungry-eyed felines who hunted them. Red eyes glinted in the dark, some of them human, all of them feral. Eves heart tripped lightly as she slipped into the fetid, damp-edged shadows. Hed gone in, she was sure of it. It was her job to follow, to find him, to bring him in. Her weapon was in her hand, and her hand was steady. "Hey, sweetcakes, wanna do it with me? Wanna do it?" Voices out of the dark, harsh with chemicals or cheap brews. Moans of the damned, giggles of the mad. The rats and cats didnt live here alone. The company of the human garbage that lined the sweating brick walls was no comfort. She swung her weapon, crouched as she sidestepped a battered recycling unit that, from the smell of it, hadnt worked in a decade. The stench of food gone over smeared the humid air and turned it into a greasy stew. Someone whimpered. She saw a boy, about thirteen, all but naked. The sores on his face were festering; his eyes were slits of fear and hopelessness as he scrabbled like a crab back against the filthy wall. Pity stirred in her heart. She had been a child once, hurt and terrified, hiding in an alley. "I wont hurt you." She kept her voice quiet, barely a murmur, kept her eyes on his, maintaining contact as she lowered her weapon. And thats when he struck. He came from behind, a roar of motion and sound. Primed to kill, he swung the pipe. The whistle of it stung her ears as she whirled, dodged. There was barely time to curse herself for losing her concentration, forgetting her primary target as two hundred fifty pounds of muscle and mean sent her flying to the bricks. Her weapon flew out of her hand and clattered into the dark. She saw his eyes, the glint of mayhem heightened by the chemical, Zeus. She watched the pipe raised high, timed it, and rolled seconds before it cracked against brick. With a pump of her legs, she dived headfirst into his belly. He grunted, staggered, and as he reached for her throat, she brought her fist up hard, smashing it under his jaw. The force of the blow radiated pain and power up her arm. People were screaming, scrambling for safety in a narrow world where nothing and no one was safe. She spun, used the impetus of the turn to deliver a roundhouse kick that shattered her adversarys nose. Blood fountained, adding to the sick miasma of odors. His eyes were wild, but he barely jerked at the blow. Pain was no match for the god of chemicals. Grinning as blood poured down his face, he smacked the thick pipe on his palm. "Kill you. Kill you, cop bitch." He circled her, swinging the pipe like a whistling whip. Grinning, grinning as he bled. "Break your head open and eat your brains." Knowing he meant it pumped her adrenaline to flash point. Live or die. Her breath came in pants, the sweat pouring like oil down her skin. She dodged the next blow, went down on her knees. Slapping a hand on her boot, she came up grinning. "Eat this instead, you son of a bitch." Her backup weapon was in her hand. She didnt bother with stun. The stun setting would do little more than tickle a two hundred fifty pound man flying on Zeus. It was set to terminate. As he lunged toward her, she hit him with full power. His eyes died first. Shed seen it happen before. Eyes that turned to glass like a dolls, even as he charged her. She sidestepped, prepared to fire again, but the pipe slipped from his fingers. His body began that jerky dance as his nervous system overloaded. He fell at her feet, a mass of ruined humanity who had played god. "You wont be sacrificing any more virgins, asshole," she muttered, and as that wild energy drained, she rubbed a hand over her face. Her weapon arm dropped. The faint scrape of leather on concrete alerted her. She started her spin, weapon rising, but arms clamped her, lifted her to her toes. "Always watch your back, Lieutenant," the voice whispered just before teeth nipped lightly at her earlobe. "Roarke, goddamn it. I nearly zapped you." "You didnt even come close." With a laugh, he turned her in his arms, and his mouth was on hers, hot, hungry. "I love watching you work," he murmured and his hand, clever hand, slid up her body to cup her breast. "Its . . . stimulating." "Cut it out." But her heart was thundering in reaction, and the order was halfhearted. "This is no place for a seduction." "On the contrary. A honeymoon is a traditional place for a seduction." He drew her back, kept his hands on her shoulders. "I wondered where youd gone off to. I should have known." He glanced down at the body at their feet. "What did he do?" "He had a predilection for beating the brains out of young women, then eating them." "Oh." Roarke winced, shook his head. "Really, Eve, couldnt you have come up with something a little less revolting?" "There was a guy on the Terra Colony a couple of years back who fit the profile, and I wondered . . ." She trailed off, frowning. They were standing in a stinking alley, death at their feet. And Roarke, gorgeous, dark angel Roarke, was wearing a tuxedo and a diamond stud. "What are you all dressed up for?" "We had plans," he reminded her. "Dinner?" "I forgot." She tucked her weapon away. "I didnt think this would take so long." She blew out a breath. "I guess I should clean up." "I like you the way you are." He moved into her again, took possession. "Forget dinner. . . for now." His smile was slow and irresistible. "But I do insist on slightly more aesthetic surroundings. End program," he ordered. The alley, the smells, and the huddle of bodies winked away. They stood in a huge, empty room with equipment and blinking lights built into the walls. Both floor and ceiling were glass-mirrored black to better project the holographic scenes available on the program. It was one of Roarkes newest, most sophisticated toys. "Begin Tropical Setting 4-B. Maintain dual control status." In response came the whoosh of waves, the sprinkle of starlight on water. Beneath her feet was white sugar sand, and palm trees waved like exotic dancers. "Thats more like it," Roarke decided, then began unbuttoning her shirt. "Or it will be when I get you naked." "Youve been getting me naked every time I blink for nearly three weeks." He arched a brow. "Husbands privilege. Complaints?" Husband. It was still a jolt. This man with the warriors mane of black hair, the poets face, the wild Irish blue eyes was her husband. Shed never get used to it. "No. Just an--" Her breath hitched as one of his long-fingered hands skimmed over her breasts. "An observation." "Cops." He smiled, unfastened her jeans. "Always observing. Youre off duty, Lieutenant Dallas." "I was just keeping my reflexes sharp. Three weeks away from the job, you get rusty." He slid a hand between her naked thighs, cupped her, watched her head fall back on a moan. "Your reflexes are just fine," he murmured and pulled her down to the soft white sand. His wife. Roarke liked to think about that as she rode him, as she moved under him, as she lay spent beside him. This fascinating woman, this dedicated cop, this troubled soul belonged to him. Hed watched her work through the program, the alley, the chemical-mad killer. And hed known she would face the reality of her work with the same tough, terrifyingly courageous determination that shed possessed in the illusion. He admired her for it, however many bad moments it gave him. Details ISBN0425155188 Author Nora Roberts Short Title RAPTURE IN DEATH Pages 320 Language English ISBN-10 0425155188 ISBN-13 9780425155189 Media Book DEWEY FIC Year 1996 Residence MD, US Birth 1950 DOI 10.1604/9780425155189 Series Number 4 Place of Publication New York Country of Publication United States AU Release Date 1996-10-01 NZ Release Date 1996-10-01 US Release Date 1996-10-01 UK Release Date 1996-10-01 Publisher Penguin Putnam Inc Series In Death Format Paperback Publication Date 1996-10-01 Imprint Berkley Publishing Corporation,U.S. Audience General We've got this At The Nile, if you're looking for it, we've got it. With fast shipping, low prices, friendly service and well over a million items - you're bound to find what you want, at a price you'll love! TheNile_Item_ID:2616956;

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